mcreynolds



March 1964 H. J. MCREYNOLDS, JR 3,123,214

CAN CARRIERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 3, 1961 TNVENTOR HOB/1C! J /1 Fir/v01 p3 JR.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,123,214 CAN CARRIERS Horace J. McReynolds, Jr., Park Ridge, Ill., assignor to Waldorf Paper Products Company, a corporation of Minnesota Filed July 3, 1961, Ser. No. 123,363 3 Claims. (Cl. 206-65) This invention relates to an improvement in can carriers and deals particularly with an arrangement to prevent the bowing of the panels of the carton.

Many can carriers have been produced which include tabs foldable out of the plane of the two opposed panels to engage into the recessed ends of cans. Where the can carriers are designed to contain two parallel rows of cans, many such carriers are provided with a central partition designed to hold the panels which overlie the ends of the cans in parallel relation even where the carrier is being lifted by these panels. It is obviously desirable from the consumers standpoint that the cost of such carriers be reduced to a minimum, which can be accomplished to some extent by omitting this central partition. Patent 2,963,148 granted December 6, 1960, shows one such carrier which is provided with a means engageable with the chimes of the cans to eliminate the bowing of one of the two panels extending over the can ends. The present invention incorporates certain of the structure shown in Patent 2,963,148, but includes, in addition, means for engaging the chimed ends of both rows of cans.

A feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a can carrier having double flanges at the ends of the elongated blank, these flanges being designed so that the inner of the two flanges at each end of the blank are adhered together in face contact, and the outer of these two flanges is reversely turned to engage against the chime of a can. In this respect, the carriers are similar to that of the patent above mentioned. However, the opposite or central panel of the blank is formed of two panels each of a width substantially equal to the can diameter, these two portions being connected by a pair of centrally connected flanges which are designed to fold in face contact. In the formation of the can package, these flanges are adhered together in face contact. Each of the two flanges is provided with a small flap hingedly connected to the flange along a line of fold which is parallel to the lines of fold connecting the flanges to the two panel portions. These small tabs or flaps may be folded back upon the remainder of the flanges, and may form means of engaging the chimes of the cans. As a result, both of the parallel panel portions which overlie the ends of the cans are provided with can chime engaging means.

A further feature of the present invention resides in the fact that the flaps connected to the flanges are preferably connected along perforated lines or cut score lines which permit the flaps to be folded back upon the flanges along a substantially square out line. Obviously, this is preferable to the round crease line which provides a rounded edge engaging the can chimes.

These and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims.

In the drawings forming a part of the specification:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a can carrier showing the general arrangement thereof.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of one of the panels of the carrier shown in FIGURE 1, showing the central flanges and the flaps foldably connected thereto, the cans having been removed for the purpose of illustration.

FIGURE 3 is a central sectional view through the sleeve, the position of the section being indicated by the broken line 33 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatic view of the blank from which the carrier is formed.

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of the central portion of the blank showing the detail of the flanges and flaps.

The blank from which the carton is formed is best illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5 of the drawings. As indicated in these figures, the center portion of the blank is provided with a pair of panel portions :35 11 which are connected by a pair of flanges 12 and 13 of similar width. The flanges 12 and 13 are connected at the center of the blank by a score line or perforated line 14 and the flanges are connected to the panel portion 10 and 11 along parallel fold lines 15 and 16 respectively. The panels 10 and 11 are provided with canretaining tabs 17 of a type known in the art.

The bottom panel portions 10 and 11 are connected along parallel transverse fold lines 19 and 20 to side Walls 21 and 22 respectively. The side walls 21 and 22 are foldably connected along parallel fold lines 23 and 24 to top panel portions 25 and 26 respectively, also having can-retaining tabs 17. The top panels 25 and 26 are of approximately the same width as the bottom panel portions 10 and 11, and are of approximately the same width as the can diameter.

The top panels 25 and 26 are foldably connected along parallel fold lines 27 and 29 to inner flanges 30 and 31 which are of similar width. The inner flanges 30 and 31 are connected along parallel fold lines 32 and 33 to outer flange portions 34 and 35 respectively. The flanges 34 and 35 are somewhat narrower than the flanges 3t) and 31 so that when the inner flanges 3t) and 31 are folded into right angular relation to the bottom panels 25 and 26 and are adhered in face contact, the outer flanges 34 and 35 may be folded outwardly and downwardly to engage against the chimed ends 36 of the cans B which are packaged within the carrier A.

When the carriers are designed to hold six cans, the flanges 12 and 13 are provided with central tabs 39 and 40 which are defined by U-shaped cut lines 41 and 42, the bases of which extend along the fold lines 15 and 16 respectively, and the ends of which extend inwardly toward the central fold line 14. The ends of the cut line are connected by fold lines which preferably comprise perforated lines 43 and 44 which are spaced from, and parallel to, the fold lines 15 and 16. The flaps 39 and 40 are of a length which is substantially shorter than the width of the flanges 12 and 13 and are of just approximately the proper width to accommodate the lower chime 37 of the cans B. Also in this type of arrangement a pair of short flaps 45 are provided in the flange 12 and a similar pair of short flaps 46 are provided in the flange 13 adjoining the side edges of the blank. The flaps 45 are hingedly connected to the flange 12 along perforated lines 47 which are aligned with the fold line 43, and the flaps 46 are hingedly connected along perforated lines 49 which are aligned with the perforated line 44. The spacing between the perforated lines 47 and 49 are thus spaced from the fold lines 15 and 16 a distance substantially equal to the height of the chime 37 so as to accommodate portions of the chimes when in the completed package.

While the panels 10 and 11 have been described as the bottom panels and the panels 25 and 26 as the top panels, this is obviously merely for the purpose of illustration, as in many instances the package is inverted or otherwise positioned.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principles of construction and operation of my improvement in can carriers, and while I have endeavored to set forth the est embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without depart ing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

A package comprising a group of two juxtaposed parallel rows of chimed cans enclosed within a rectangular open ended carton, the carton including top and bottom end walls overlying the ends of the cans of said rows, and side walls connected to opposite edges of said side walls and overlying the sides of the can group, one of said end Walls comprising a pair of wall portions overlying the chimed ends of one row and terminating in free edges at the plane between said rows, a flange hinged to each said free edge and extending toward the opposite end wall between said can rows, said flanges being fol ably connected together and secured in face contact, said flanges having apertures therethrough at the junctures between said flanges and said free edges and into which the chimes of the cans may extend, and flaps hinged to the two said flanges along the edges of said apertures most remote from said free edges, said flaps being folded into substantial face contact with the portions of said flanges adjacent to said apertures.

2. A package comprising a group of two juxtaposed parallel rows of chimed cans enclosed within a rectangular open ended carton, the carton including a top wall panel overlying the upper chimed ends or" the cans of the can group, side walls connected to opposite sides of said top wall panel, and enclosing the sides of the can group, and a bottom wall panel having a free edge and an edge hingedly connected to the lower end of each side wall and each enclosing the lower chimed ends of one row of cans, the free edges of said bottom wall panels meeting centrally along the plane between said can rows, a flange hinged to each said free edge and ex tending upwardly therebetween, said flanges being secured in face contact, said flanges having apertures therethrough adjacent to the juncture between said flanges and said bottom wall panels and into which said chimed ends of said cans extend, the top wall panel including two top wall panel portions the free edges of which terminate at the plane between the rows of cans, flange means on said last named freeedges secured in face contact between the rows of cans, and upwardly extending flanges foldably connected to the lower edges of said last named flanges and engaging the chimes at the upper ends of said cans.

3. The structure of claim 2 and in which the upper edges of said flanges are foldably connected together.

References Cited in the ,flle of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,765,073 Murray Oct. 2, 1956 2,963,148 Cote Dec. 6, 1960 3,010,573 Chidsey Nov. 28, 1961 

1. A PACKAGE COMPRISING A GROUP OF TWO JUXTAPOSED PARALLEL ROWS OF CHIMED CANS ENCLOSED WITHIN A RECTANGULAR OPEN ENDED CARTON, THE CARTON INCLUDING TOP AND BOTTOM END WALLS OVERLYING THE ENDS OF THE CANS OF SAID ROWS, AND SIDE WALLS CONNECTED TO OPPOSITE EDGES OF SAID SIDE WALLS AND OVERLYING THE SIDES OF THE CAN GROUP, ONE OF SAID END WALLS COMPRISING A PAIR OF WALL PORTIONS OVERLYING THE CHIMED ENDS OF ONE ROW AND TERMINATING IN FREE EDGES AT THE PLANE BETWEEN SAID ROWS, A FLANGE HINGED TO EACH SAID FREE EDGE AND EXTENDING TOWARD THE OPPOSITE END WALL BETWEEN SAID CAN ROWS, SAID FLANGES BEING FOLDABLY CONNECTED TOGETHER AND SECURED IN FACE CONTACT, SAID FLANGES HAVING APERTURES THERETHROUGH AT THE JUNCTURES BETWEEN SAID FLANGES AND SAID FREE EDGES AND INTO WHICH THE CHIMES OF THE CANS MAY EXTEND, AND FLAPS HINGED TO THE TWO SAID FLANGES ALONG THE EDGES OF SAID APERTURES MOST REMOTE FROM SAID FREE EDGES, SAID FLAPS BEING FOLDED INTO SUBSTANTIAL FACE CONTACT WITH THE PORTIONS OF SAID FLANGES ADJACENT TO SAID APERTURES. 